Last month residents of Toronto may have noticed a temporary addition to some streets in the city. Uber Canada installed street-side breathalyzers that also served as a way to call an Uber driver as a part of a PR campaign. Individuals who blew into the device and were found to be above the legal limit were offered a free a ride home.
Each person who used the breathalyzer received a new straw so the germs of each user were not spread.
Sometimes when someone is arrested for drunk driving it is because they are just barely over the legal limit and would not have driven if they had realized that they were breaking the law. In the long term, offering a device that provides people the option to take a breathalyzer in a setting other than when it is administered by the police might reduce the number of drunk drivers on the roads throughout Toronto. It is unclear if or when the kiosk will make another appearance and again and if it does, whether rides free of charge will be provided.
In the meantime those who are pulled over and arrested for suspicion of impaired driving should recognize that a conviction could seriously impact their lives. There are multiple ways a criminal defense lawyer could help someone in this situation. Depending on the specific situation, among other things an attorney could challenge the legality of the stop, employ toxicologists to challenge evidence presented by the prosecution or question the way in which sobriety was tested.